Chapter 16 Part 2: The brother hasn’t drunk enough. (Flag)

Translator: Michiko

Editor: Elena

The sandy beach was sparsely crowded and was perfect for a stroll. 

The shallow, jade-green water gradually transitioned into a bright blue as it flowed out to sea, and the waves glistening in the sunlight were a delight to Reiru’s eyes. 

It was autumn, but the weather today was clear with gentle breeze. As long as you didn’t try to swim, you wouldn’t get cold. 

Sea birds chirped amidst the scent of sea water and the roar of waves crashing back and forth filled the air.

So this was the sea.

Reiru was a bit excited as he stepped on the white sand. 

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“Zlp, es usw oydv vs vypvl kv?”

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“Gxygkdt, kv’p ralvvu pyzvu.”&dcpr;

“Zlyb. Rv’p pwarakpkdt yv qkapv.”&dcpr;

“Mawl. Mblal’p y alypsd pyzv nyd cl byahlpvle qasx kv, yqvla yzz.”

Slkaw pyke psxlvbkdt nbkzekpb okvb pwnb y plakswp qynl, obknb yxwple Qks; bl nswzed’v blzr cwv jkpp Slkaw sd vbl nbllj.&dcpr;

Reiru had a complicated look on his face, half troubled and half resigned.

“Hey, don’t kiss too much outside… I know you are shameless without a care in the world, but I’m actually embarrassed, okay?”

“Then let’s go somewhere where we can be alone.”

Gio practically dragged Reiru along by the hand and walked toward the pier, which could be seen in the distance.

When Gio tried to get a private room on the cruise ship, Reiru asked Gio to go on a small boat instead. 

Reiru still couldn’t get used to the fact that Gio wanted to spend money on him. Reiru also expressed his disapproval of staying at an inn for aristocrats, saying it was an excessive luxury. 

Because of that Gio had to explain to Reiru several times that he was able to earn money on the outside because Reiru took care of the children. 

In other words, the money Gio earned was also Reiru’s. 

That, and Gio wanted to enjoy his time alone with Reiru; if he had to spend some money in order to do so, it was a necessary expense.

Gio was trying to persuade Reiru, who appeared to be frustrated.

“I understand that but… no, I’m not sure about that either, but I’d still prefer a boat.”

Apparently, Reiru didn’t simply choose the boat out of reservation.

“I get it. Then let’s go on a boat.” 

“Ok, then I’ll row!”

Reiru sounded very excited, leading Gio to think that he wanted to try paddling.

Reiru struggled with the oar, but somehow, someway, the boat with the both of them on board made it out to sea. 

While watching Reiru, who was finally getting the hang of it and heading out to sea, Gio thought to himself, “He used to be pretty athletic, come to think of it,” and reminisced on the old days. 

Reiru was a quiet boy who spent most of his time indoors reading books, but when he joined in to play, he was quick and light on his feet.

When they were far enough offshore that the coast seemed far away, Reiru stopped the boat in satisfaction. 

They spent their soothing, idle time, touching the surface of the sea and waving back at the passengers of the cruise ship as it headed further out to sea.

“The sea is really large. It’s sparkling and way more beautiful than I would’ve imagined. I’ve heard that the world is a big place so I guess there really are many different places and people from all walks of life.”

Reiru earnestly commented. 

Reiru’s world, up until he left the orphanage, had only been in that country town. 

Although his place of employment was in a neighboring town, he was always trying to save money, so he never played around on holidays, never had a relationship with a woman, and had few life experiences. 

This led him to experience a number of things that he never expected when he left the orphanage and began his journey. 

He got a chance to speak with royalty, was pledged to by Gio’s friends about something, made friends, and so on.

It was Gio who was at the root of all those things, and Reiru felt incredible at the thought that Gio was now whispering his love to him.

Reiru still inwardly thought it was a shame that Gio wouldn’t marry the princess, and he didn’t completely understand the logic behind Gio’s love for him. 

However, he did understand that Gio always had a unique sensibility and sometimes displayed an odd fixation that others didn’t understand. 

That’s why Reiru thought that if Gio said so, then it must be so.

He casually looked over and met Gio’s quiet but profound gaze.

“Reiru, if you want to go, I’ll even take you to a country across the sea.”

Hearing the slightest hint of seriousness in his usual clear tone, Reiru couldn’t help but smile.

“Gio, I’m not a kid anymore, I’m not dreaming of an emotional reunion with my parents at this age.”

Reiru’s dull blond hair and golden eyes were not unusual features in this country. 

But Reiru was also aware of the fact that there were people who had both of these features in some areas of the foreign country across the sea. 

Gio knew that Reiru used to go in and out of the room that the former orphanage director used as a study, and he would read books that seemed difficult to read at a very young age. 

Many of the books that Reiru often had in his possession were travel books that featured ethnic groups of the foreign country and their customs. 

One of the books mentioned people with golden hair and eyes, and that another one of their unique characteristics was that both men and women were tall. 

Gio believed that to be the reason Reiru’s height had grown so much despite the amount of food he had eaten, which didn’t seem to be enough to provide adequate nutrition; it was probably due to his heredity.

Reiru, who had left the orphanage, chose this port town as his destination, where foreign ships come and go. Gio could not help but notice the significance in that regard.

In response to Gio, who was holding his tongue, Reiru began to muse, seemingly carefree.

“I used to think about what kind of person my mother would be, too. Maybe she’s a very nice person, but there were circumstances for giving me up, or maybe she’s just a selfish, bad person.”

The light from the waves shimmered on Reiru’s skin as he playfully paddled the surface of the sea, making his golden eyes vivid.　

“But maybe, just maybe, she’s a very normal person. Not a particularly good or bad person, just an ordinary woman who had a bit of a tough life; if she’s even still alive.”

A fine wind began to blow, tousling his dull golden hair. Reiru brushed back a strand of hair that fell on his forehead and chuckled.

“There is nothing I can say to a normal woman who has gone through a hard time.”

Gio had never hated himself for being inarticulate as much as he did at this moment.

“The wind has picked up. We should head back. Gio, you’ll paddle back, right?”

Reiru looked somewhat relieved and handed the paddle over to Gio. 

Gio rowed the boat at a tremendous speed in silence, and when they got up to the dock, he hugged Reiru and repeatedly kissed him. 

Reiru smiled, looking troubled, but did not resist.

For some reason, Reiru was in a good mood and wanted to see the market, so they headed down the street that leads from the port into town. 

Reiru curiously looked at the stores and stalls that lined the street on either side.

“Oh, I am amazed that they sell so many things, not just food! And it’s full of people!” 

“Rei, watch out for pickpockets. This kind of place is where they work.”

Gio warned that they may be in league with the owner of the stalls, or several people may target an individual.

“You seem to know a lot about this. Did you experience something like that in the royal capital, Gio?” 

“Yes, but I got it back.”

Reiru laughed out loud at the answer, which was very typical of Gio.

“Come to think of it, you invited me to the royal capital once before.” 

“I did. The one that got canceled because the little ones got a fever.”

Gio smirked as he recalled that time.

“That was a real bummer. I even guarded the royals coming down to the city for consecutive days to take a day off.”

Not only that, but there was an expedition to take down a large magical beast that inhabited a large lake in the region just before their date. The mission was dragging on, so Gio forced himself to complete it and returned to the capital, but when he arrived, he received an emergency contact magic paper from the orphanage saying, “Three of the little ones have a fever. Sorry, I can’t make it today,” Gio involuntarily lost strength. 

Gio didn’t speak about it, but Reiru lowered his eyebrows apologetically.

“Is that so? I’m sorry about that.” 

“It’s nothing for you to apologize for, but I found a store I’d like to take you to while I’m on guard duty. Shall we visit the capital one of these days?” 

“Yeah, that would be nice. I’d like to see Gio as a knight, too.”

Reiru said it casually, but Gio was instantly in a good mood. 

This was the first time Reiru expressed interest in Gio as a knight.

The two were in a good mood and ate grilled seafood skewers at a food stall, Reiru tried some local sake, and returned to the inn feeling tipsy and in a good mood. 

Reiru, who hadn’t had a drink in a long time, felt a little unsatisfied and opened the cold storage unit provided in the room.

“Gio, can I drink this sake?”

When Gio heard his voice, he was busy preparing a bath and didn’t check the bottle in Reiru’s hand. 

Gio wondered if there was any liquor, but didn’t mind or pay attention, since there were often times when liquor was available in the inn rooms for aristocrats.

However, Gio would immensely regret this oversight later.

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TN: Thank you very much to N for Kofis. Last month, I said I would update regularly but a lot of things happened in my life after that. It was not a good month for me. On the last day of May, there was an explosion near my house and it was quite terrifying. I received notifications from kofi a few minutes after the explosion that someone sent me kofi. It really made me happy and helped me clam down. So, thanks again, N. The timing was amazing. I can’t say anything about regular updates as last time I did it didn’t go as planned. Thank you very much for your patience. Enjoy reading.